Wow… what a rollercoaster! I’ve had to take some time before writing my review because S.E. Lynes has given me whiplash with The Perfect Boyfriend.
From the jump, the story contains the “perfect” amount of human interest that had me glued to this book. There’s such a build-up of suspense, I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next. Lynes just kept lining events up and then knocking them out of the park.
I’m a huge fan of this author, but I think The Perfect Boyfriend is my favourite to date!
Will review on Amazon on publication.

This is a great read and one which I devoured as it had great pace and so many twists and turns. The story is told by the 2 main protagonists and it certainly kept me guessing all the way through.

Meeting at school Kirstie and Dougie became a couple and when his break up letter shattered Kirstie’s life she fell apart. Many years later she sees her old love but he says she is mistaken about his identity. What follows is the dark story of revenge, betrayal, love, loyalty and the importance of doing the right thing.

There was an odd twist at the end which I was not expecting and won’t go into so it doesn’t spoil the book for others, however it seemed to come from nowhere and although I had no issue with the outcome it really came from nowhere and I felt added nothing to the story. It could have been a part of the book from the outset?

However this is a great read and one I will recommend. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The book is written from the perspective of two narrators and presented mostly in transcripts. Kirsty is a midwife, expecting her first baby and living with her partner Dougie in a quite cul-de-sac. There she is very good friends with her elderly neighbour Joan who she checks on and brings food to etc.

At work Kirsty is convinced she sees an old boyfriend who disappeared on her, leaving nothing behind but a nasty note. She begins to dig further into this, spiralling as none of her friends or partner believe this could be true and the same person. Then to top it all of, her neighbour Joan disappears.

I did think this was an enjoyable read overall but found one of the main plot points just unbelievable— I do like that this was addressed right at at the end though!

I hate not finishing a book, so I tried really hard to get into this story but I just couldn't finish it.

The story development was slow & Kirsty was a bit annoying of a character.

I wish I could have gotten into it, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC ebook for my honest review.

This book is absolutely incredible! I couldn't put it down and then if I did I couldn't stop thinking about picking it back up. I read it in 3 sittings and stayed up extremely late to finish it. Brilliant end as well.

This was pretty clever and quick moving, and I liked the characters which doesn't always happen in a psychological thriller. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kirsty and Hughie tell this twisted tale of a man who reappears- or does he- after not doing well on his exams and ghosting his girl. Kirsty is 8 months pregnant and working as a midwife when she spies Hughie in the corridor of the hospital. But it's not- or is it? And then her neighbor goes missing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Lots of little twists here making this a page turner.

I do like S.E. Lynes' books, so in spite of the awful title I was keen to read this.

Even more so when I realised it was set in Aberdeen, where I live. It adds a certain something to a story when you know and can visualise just about all of the places mentioned. (The weather doesn't come out of it so well - it's permanently freezing in this story. Which.... not necessarily wrong.)

Kirsty is a midwife, happily married to Dougie and expecting her first baby. She's never quite got over what happened with her teenage boyfriend Hughie Reynolds, particularly the way it ended, so when he - or someone who looks a lot like him - turns up at the hospital where she works, everything quickly gets a bit weird. Including the behaviour of her elderly neighbour and friend, Joan...

This was a good read - I liked Kirsty's character, she's brave and persistent despite the vulnerability which comes with late pregnancy.

There were a few twists here which I definitely didn't expect. I did get a bit confused about ages and relationships towards the end and things felt a bit complicated but it all hung together in the end (I think). The Dougie "twist" was well executed and came as a surprise, though I'm not sure what the point was of concealing it.

Overall a very good read.

Kirsty Shaw is a midwife. As the story begins she is in hospital delivering a baby. At the end of her shift, as she leaves, she passes a man in the corridor. He’s clearly a senior member of staff, but she also recognises him as Hughie Reynolds, someone she has not seen for years. He was the love of her life who disappeared when she was seventeen years old.
Kirsty’s decision to make herself known to him backfires when she discovers this doppleganger’s name is Barry Sefton, a consultant anaesthetist. Hughie had his sights set on a medical career in anaesthetics too but failed his school grades. He became angry and frustrated at losing the chance to study medicine. Kirsty, however, passed her exams and went on to become a midwife. Hughie’s failure was the trigger for his departure. He simply disappeared without trace, leaving behind a distraught Kirsty, his parting gift a spiteful letter.

Kirsty, who is expecting her first baby, refuses let go of her conviction this doctor is Hughie Reynolds, pulling both her partner Dougie and close friends into what some feel is fast becoming an unhealthy obsession. What follows is a gripping psychological thriller that has multiple twists, turns and edge of your seat moments. Difficult to put down, it's a book I thoroughly recommend.

Heavily pregnant Kirsty is working as a midwife in a hospital. Whilst on a break one day, she spots who appears to be her high school boyfriend, Hughie, who abandoned her one day never to be seen again. He denies this and says he is an anaesthetist and his name is Barry.

Kirsty is convinced that he is lying but can't understand why he would be back now. She begins an investigation and this sets off a wild chain of events.

The story is told in dual timeline, which I love. It's well written although I will say there were some parts that were repetitive. I flew through this in a couple of sittings. Would recommend to anyone that enjoys a fast paced, easy read thriller.

A twisty psychological thriller which kept me turning the pages. Kirsty is a midwife and is also pregnant herself, after a difficult birth she bumps into an anaesthetist who she is sure is her first boyfriend. He denies knowing her but she is convinced that he is lying. Then strange things start to happen and Kirsty finds herself not knowing who to trust. Told in dual viewpoint, this was an absorbing read.

Kirsty is a midwife in the last few weeks of her pregnancy. While working at the hospital, she sees someone who HAS to be her first boyfriend, but so much time has passed that she is not quite sure. As she searches for more information, she becomes deeply involved in a very twisty plot. This story did have several twists, but did lag at times. I look forward to reading the author’s other books.

I've loved all SE Lynes'books so far. This one didn't work for me as well.

The synopsis and overall storyline is interesting. I felt the writing was rather reptile at times about certain things.

I couldn't warm to Kirsty. I know she's pregnant but she seemed weak and lacking agency. She protests a lot she shouldn't be seen as weak because she's pregnant but I felt as a character she needed more depth and fire.

Generally, it's well written but these aspects affected my enjoyment.

This book had me gripped throughout and I felt Kirstie’s exasperation at the situation! The author skillfully builds the tension and desperation and I raced through it. It all builds to quite an ending!!! Defintely worth a read.

Midwife Kirsty Shaw has just led on a difficult birth. Now mum and baby are settling in, Kirsty realises just how tired she is. Eight months pregnant herself, with just a few more shifts to do before her maternity leave starts, Kirsty, though she loves her job, will be glad when she can put her feet up. Her line manager insists that she takes a breather before the next delivery, so Kirsty bundles herself up to face the Aberdeen weather. Walking the hospital corridors she comes fact to face with a blast from the past. Old boyfriend Hughie, who unceremoniously dumped her eleven years previously before disappearing. Both she and her family were very upset at how they had all been so callously treated. Strangely Hughie ignores Kirsty and when she calls his name again, he is adamant she is mistaken, he is not Hughie. At this point most people would take the knock back, realise that a) they were mistaken or b) yes, Hughie really is the thoughtless creep he proved to be. Not Kirsty.

Not a bad start to a book and I really thought it had potential. Sadly these thoughts soon dissipated after constantly reading about whose was the red car, where is Joan and is it Hughie? Far too much repetition, and yes, we get it, late pregnancy can be a trial but the oft mentioned crying, hormones and tiredness really grated. Naive in the the extreme, both Kirsty and Dougie needed a good shake up.

Then, finally, the end, phew! But what an ending. In many books we suspend belief and that only adds to the enjoyment. With this plot not only did we have to go with the flow we had to follow it into the stratosphere. As for the rambling last chapter 😱

Definitely missed the mark for me.

A slow, protracted read that fell far short of this author’s capability.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture.

Kirsty is happily married and expecting her first baby, when she sees her ex-boyfriend from her school days, at the hospital where she works. When Hughie claims not to recognise her, she knows he is hiding something.

Determined to find out why Hughie won’t acknowledge her, Kirsty starts to dig for answers.

Told from the POVs of Kirsty and Hughie, this gripping page turner had me captivated as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. There were some stunning twists, you know those full-on gasp loud moments? Yep, those! Absolutely brilliant!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, S. E. Lynes and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

3 stars
Publication date January 26, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending this eARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Kirsty works as a midwife in a hospital, amd is very close to having a baby herself. While on break one day, she thinks she sees her ex-boyfriend from years ago, who disappeared suddenly from her life. When she approaches him, he denies he is the ex, and has a different name. But she knows it is him. Meanwhile, her elderly neighbor and friend goes missing, and she starts to believe her missing neighbor and reappearance of her ex are related.

This story has a couple of good, surprising twists. As with most psychological thrillers, it is pretty far-fetched at times, but thats why I keep reading them!

This thriller was really well done, with a suspenseful storyline and clever twists. It’s not one I’ll forget easily.

Kirsty is a midwife who is heavily pregnant. On one of her shifts, she bumps into a man she’s convinced is her ex-boyfriend from ten years ago—the one who abruptly disappeared and broke her heart. He, however, pretends not to know her and goes by a different name now. This chance meeting sets off a dramatic series of events, revealing a web of secrets, lies, and betrayal.

The story is told from both Kirsty’s and the ex-boyfriend’s perspectives. I appreciated the author’s use of dramatic irony to create suspense. Reading the ex-boyfriend’s POV felt like being inside the head of an unreliable narrator. I love being in the head of a good villain—especially a book villain!

The story unfolds through a series of recordings and transcripts, which made me even more curious—I couldn’t wait to find out why they were being recorded in the first place.

The language flowed seamlessly, keeping me hooked to my Kindle the entire time. The author does such a great job of building suspense and tension throughout.

This was a brilliant thriller and one I’d absolutely recommend to all thriller/mystery lovers. If you enjoy true crime documentaries, this is even better.

Thanks to @bookouture and @netgalley for this review copy. All opinions are my own

I was very intrigued to dive into this book as the concept is right up my alley. Kristy is a delivery nurse who is also at the end of her own pregnancy. While walking the halls of the hospital, she sees someone she never thought to see again: her ex-boyfriend, Hughie. But is it really him? This one moment sends Kristy on a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts regarding herself and her past. When something happens to a neighbor of hers, she instantly goes into conspiracy mode largely impacted by Hughie's appearance.

I have to say that I was let down by this book. It was a decent story, but not one that I'll remember fondly to others. S.E. Lynes is a wonderful author who can deal out prose with the best of them, but the directions of this plotline didn't fit together for me. From Kristy's automatic conspiracy theories that aren't very believable to the incessant rambling in the journal in the final chapter, I was just not hooked. While there were twists and turns, they were predictable except for the couple that seemed too random to be true.

The writing style was easy to follow, though, and the storyline flowed well, keeping me reading despite not connecting with the characters or concept. I would read another book from this Lynes, but I wouldn't choose this book to recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This was not one I loved as much as I had hoped. I found the storyline to take a long while to hook me in . It didn't work for me.